Display rack



[ 1941; D. E. VARNER I 2,265,092

DISPLAY RACK Filed June 21, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet l Flax] 235 FIG. ,2

22' D INVENTOR.

. gg David E. Va rner 43 4 46 4 ATTORNEY.

Dec. 2, 1941. D. E, VARNER Y 2,265,092

DISPLAY RACK Filed Jung 21, 1939 4 Fm. 6 a4 $5 33W 51H Z-T 20 24- -Z 3 I 24' m /l 15 22 l 22 11 41 11 42 L L i illflifl UT U I INVENTOR. Davzd Z. Varner I ATTORNEY.

Dec. 2, 1941.

D. E. VARNER 2.265,092

DISPLAY RACK Filed June 21, 1959 3 Sheets-Sh eet 3 FIGJI 25' gd 1 31 Q Z 1;

INVENTOR.

fiavz'd E; Varner B W7. M

ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 2, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPLAY RACK David E. Varner, Wichita, Kans. Application June 21, 1939, Serial No..280,376

4 Claims.

My invention relates to an improvement in wire display racks, and has for its object to provide a rack that is cheap and easy to make, one that will collapse for packing and transporting purposes, one that is quick and easy to set up without the use of tools, and one which, when set up, is strong; solid and substantial. A further object is to provide a rack of the kind mentioned that is neat and somewhat artistic in appearance. These and other objects will be more fully explained as this description progresses.

Now referring to the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 represents a front view of the rack as it appears when it is set up and is ready for use.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the display rack shown in Fig. 1. r

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the display rack shown in Fig. 1. I

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail perspective view-of one of the upper corners of the rack, showing the construction employed at this point.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail perspective view of one of the upper corners of the. rack, showing a modified form of construction that may be employed at this point.

Fig. 6 is a front Viewof the rack when it is collapsed for shipping ortransporting purposes, the floor grating and brace panel being removed from the major frame shown in this figure.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the major frame element in its collapsed position as shown in Fig.6.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail perspective view of the assembly employed at the bottom of the major frame and showing the side rail of the floor grating. I

Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of the brace panel for the major frame.

Fig. 10 is a front view of a modified form of the display rack in which the end frame elements converge from bottom to top instead of standing vertical and parallel to each other as shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. ll is a front view of a modified form of the display rack in which the end frame elements converge from top to bottom instead of standing vertical andparallel to each other as shown in Fig. l. I V 7 Similar numerals of reference designate the same parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

In the drawings is shown an improved display rack which includes a pair of identical end members A and B, each of which is provided with a base element that consists of a heavy wire I l, the ends of whichare bent in a loop to form leg like elements l2 and I3. At I4 is a cross member spaced'below the bar II and welded to the leg elements l2 and I3. At 0 is an inverted U- shaped standard element having legs [5 and IS, the lower ends of which are welded to the cross bars H. and I4, the cross member C of the U-shaped element'being bent as at ll to form a recess for the reception of the side bar 18 of a brace panel as later will be described.

At I9, 20 and 2| are cross bars spanning between the legs i5 and I6 and being welded thereto as a reinforcement for, and a means of increasing the rigidity of the U-shaped end member A or B. At 22 is a brace element in the form of a half circle, the ends of which are weldedto the bar and the central portion of the brace 22 is welded to the legs 15 and N5 of the U-shaped member C. At 23 and 24 is shown brace rods extending from the cross bar l l to the cross bar 20 and being rigidly welded to the cross members ll, 2| and 20 and acts as an additional reinforcing to the U-shaped end members C. At 25 and 26, Hand 28, 29 and 30 are pairs of parallel cross members connecting between the end elements Aand B of the rack. The ends of the cross members 25 and 26 being looped around the legs l5 and 16 of the U-shaped member C so as to form pivotal connections between the end elements A and B at the points 3|, 32, 33 and 34. The loops at the points 3|, 32, 33 and 34 rest on the cross members 19 which functions as a support for the cross members 25 and 26. The ends of the cross bars 21 and 28 are also looped around the legs [5 and I6 at the points 35, 36, 31 and 38 and the-looped ends of the cross bars 21 and 28 are supported on the cross members 20. At the bottom of the rack is a third pair of parallel cross bars 29 and 30, the ends of which are looped around a portion of the leg elements I 2 and I3 at either side of the end frame elements at the points 39, 40, 41 and 42.

On each rod of the pairs of cross rods 25-26, and 2'l -28 are pairs of hook elements 43 depending from the cross bars 25, 26, 21 and. 28 for the purpose of supporting articles to be displayed on the rack. I

At the central portion of the cross bars II the bar is bent as at Ha to form a recess or a seat for a brace panel element D that will later be described. r 7

At the. bottom of the major frame of the rack is a rectangular shaped floor grate element E which comprises a rectangular frame having end members 44 and 45, and side members 46 and 41 to which are welded grating bars 48. The end members 44 and 45 are provided with an inwardly directed oil-set bend 49 so as to fit around the legs I5 and N5 of the end members A and B of the major frame, and the outer ends of the frame elements 44 and 45 will rest snugly against the leg members l2 and [3 of the end frame members A and B and hold them parallel with the end members 44 and 45 of the floor frame E. The off-set 49 in the frame members 44 and 45 serves to hold the floor frame E in its proper position between the end members A and B of the major frame.

In Fig. 9 is shown a brace panel D which com-- prises a rectangular frame having a bottom member 50, side members l8, a top cross member 52, an intermediate cross member 53,. anddiagonal brace rods 54. The diagonal cross rods 54 are made in one piece and the central portion thereof projects above the cross member 52 in the form of a loop-like portion 55 that may be employed for the support of advertising matter, or as a handle by which the: device may be carried, etc.

The ends of the cross member 52. project beyond the side members l8; and the upper ends of the side members l8' project. above thecross: member 52 for purposes that will later be explained.

In the panel D shown in Fig; 9', all the wires are welded together where they cross each other so as to give rigidity to the panel frame.

The panel D shown in: Fig. 9 is designed to: fit between the end members A and B of the major frame and rest on the bars- 48 of the: grating frame E with the lower end of the side elements I8 being sprung into the" curved seat formation I la in the crossbar I I, and the: upper ends of the side elements [8- being sprung into the curved seat formations IT in the eross porti'on of the U-shaped member and the outer endsof the cross member '-2 are positioned beneath the cross portionsof the U-shaped member C.

The brace panel B shown in Fig. 9, being assembled inthe major frame structure as tie-- scribed and shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 4;, 5, l0 and 11 form a positive brace for the end frame elements A and B so that they cannot rock eitherto the right or left and muststand perfectly rigid in their correct upright position asshown. A

In Figures 10 and 11 is' shown display racks of identically the same construction as that shown in Fig. 1 except that the end elements A and B are set in converging positions with relation toeach other instead of being parallel with each i In the design shown in Figures 10 and" 1-1 the sides I 8 of the panel'- other as shown in Fig. l.

brace element D converge to match the converging of the end frame elements A and B as'wi'll the upper end of the brace panel D upwardly between the cross bars 21a and 28a and then upwardly between the cross bars 25a and 26a and then rocking the bottom bar 50a of the brace frame D onto the grating bars 48 of the floor element E and then rocking the side bars I8a into the curved seats Ha and I! as previously described.

In Fig. 5 is illustrated a modified form of the upper end. of the brace panel D in which the cross bar 52 is a continuatiom of 52a of the side bars l8. In this case the side bars l8 are provided with a curved seat formation lBa: that receives the seat formation I! in the cross member of the U-shaped end elements A and B.

Now to collapse the rack, the brace panel D is removed from between the end frames A and B in the reverseorder from that above described for installing the brace panel D between the end as seenin Fig. 3, and; then moving the brace panel D downwardly until the bottom cross'lnember 50 rests on the grating bars 48 of the'iioo'r portion E, whereupon the brace panel D may be swung into parallelism wit-hthe" bars and 26,

whereupon the side bars lB-will be sprung into frames A and B.

The brace panel D having been removed, one end of the floor grating frame E' is lifted upward-1y whereupon the floor grating frame E may be readily removed from between the endframe elements A and B.

IIEhe brace panel D andthe floor grating frame D having been removed from between the end frame elements A and B, the end frame elements A and 3- maybe turned in the pivotal bearings 3 l -3 2, 3334, 3 536', 3-1 3-8-, 39-40; and 4 |42 on the pairs of parallel cross bars 25-25, 2'l28 and 25- to the collapsed" position as shown in Fig; 7, whereupon the brace panel D and the floor grating E maybe laid flat on the collapsed major frame and tied together, or placed in a carton forshipping or transport purposes.

While the formsof my invention shown in the drawings are probably the preferred forms, it is to' be understood that numerous other modifications of the invention may be employed without departing from the spirit and intention of the invention and'wi'thout departing from the scope of the appended claims;

Now having fully-described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A display rack said rack comprising a pair of duplicate and frame members, a floor element;

and a panel braceelement; the duplicate end framemembers being pivotally linked together by a plurality of pairs of parallel link elements, the floor element being removably positioned between the duplicate end frame members in such a manner as to station their relative positions, the panel brace element being supported on the floor element and being removably positioned between the duplicate framemembers in such a manner as to hold the-duplicate frame members in an upright position.-

2'. A display rack; saidrack comprising a pair of duplicate frame members, a floor element, and a panel braceelement; the duplicate frame menibers being 'pivotally linked together by a plurality of pairs of parallel link elements, the fioor element being removably positioned between the (mannerame members in such a manner as to station their relative positions, the panel brace element being supported on the floor element and being removably positioned between the duplicate frame members in-such a manner as to hold the duplicate frame members in an upright position and the combination of said parallel links having supporting elements thereonfor the purp'oseset forth.

Iii a dismay rack; a;- pair of duplicate in"- verted r shaped an eerie elements; a floor ele-- ment for said rack and a panel brace element for the rack, the pair of duplicate end frame elements being pivotally linked together by an upper, a lower, and an intermediate pair of link elements, the floor element being removably supported on the lower pair of parallel link elements and engaging the end frame elements as a means of rigidly positioning the end frame elements, the panel brace element being removably positioned on and above the floor element between and engaging the end frame elements so as to definitely position and hold the end frame elements in their upright position.

4. In a display rack as defined in claim 3, seat means formed in the end frame elements for receiving and holding the brace element as and for the purpose shown and described.

- DAVID E. VARNER. 

